


Only One Shot

by pandalotl



Category: B.A.P
Genre: Daehyun is desperate to survive, Dystopian Future, Humans are seen as worthless trash, Hybrids, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 06:44:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20689226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandalotl/pseuds/pandalotl
Summary: In a world where humans are the runt of society and hybrids hold all the privilege, there are very few ways to make an honest living. Shrouded by the darkness of the alley it's hidden in, there is a casino like no other, run by one of The Exotics and his cohort of misfits. A casino where one can earn a life's fortune by winning one single game of cards-- in exchange for a large sum of money or the wager of one's life itself..





	1. Solitaire

Daehyun stares imploringly into cold green eyes, a light sweat sticking the longer strands of his matted hair to his nape. His gaze is met with nothing but contempt; the raised eyebrow and audible scoff preparing him for the response before it’s even been said. 

“Did you really think we would hire a scrawny, sickly human such as yourself?”

Feeling his heart give a weak flutter against his ribcage, Daehyun takes a series of short, sharp breaths, never breaking eye contact with the hostile feline ones before him. “It’s cleaning..just cleaning. I can manage. Look, just give me a trial period--a day, one day, unpaid--and I’ll show you I can manage..I know how to clean-”

A pair of tabby-coloured ears twitch in smug amusement as the green eyes look him up and down, taking in his dishevelled appearance from the limp, oily roots of his hair to the tips of his bare, scratched toes. “I’m not convinced you do know how to clean, actually,” comes the snarky reply. “Even if you can, humans aren’t reliable and I can’t have you bringing our service ratings down.”

“Nobody has to know I work here..” Daehyun says in a whisper. “I’ll keep quiet, stay out of the way. You can even pay me less than the others, just please let me work. I need this.”

“You’re dirtying the floor already. Leave, human. Find work amongst your own kind,” the cat-like man sneers, brushing his claws off against the leather of his jacket as if Daehyun’s very presence is causing grime to develop under them. “I hear the whore-houses aren’t too picky.”

Daehyun’s body somehow manages to pump enough blood northwards that his cheeks fill with a deep blush, burning from within. “I might have little status, but I will never-- _ never _ \--stoop that low.” 

“And I’d never stoop so low as to hire a human, either,” the feline man snarls. “I say you’d have a better chance as a whore, but then again, who’d pay to fuck you?”

An almost feral-sounding growl escapes Daehyun’s lips and he spits forcefully onto the tiles beneath his feet. “Bastard..”

The stronger man grabs Daehyun by the arm, digging his sharp claws into the human’s grubby flesh and manhandling him roughly, dragging him outside the building. “You’re nothing but filth, weakling. Get out and don’t ever let me see your face again.” With a harsh shove, he deprives Daehyun of all stability and balance, sending him stumbling over into a heap on the ground. “Learn your place.” comes the last hissing remark before Daehyun hears the thudding of heavy boots on the ground grow ever more distant until he is alone, right back to square one.

He lies on the road for a while, completely still aside from his involuntary trembling. His position is far from comfortable; skin grazed and broken in places where stray pebbles are digging into him, limbs folded and crushed under his own meagre weight, bones aching and sore already. Other than his jagged breathing he lets out no semblance of a complaint, no groan or sign that he’s in pain, already so used to the discomfort that all he feels is a dull sense of expected disappointment. 

Once he’s shaken off enough of his previous humiliation and his heart has calmed down somewhat, Daehyun weakly drags himself to his feet, unsteady and at risk of collapsing again at any point. He forces himself to keep on balance and scuffs the soles of his feet along the floor as he starts to head home--if he can even bring himself to consider it that. He allows his mind to fill to the brim with numbness and trusts his muscle memory to take him back to his base, passively accepting his fate should he be run over before he arrives. 

_ No such luck _ , he thinks, though there’s some relief that comes with the thought as his empty gaze lands upon the communal shack. He wonders absently if any of his belongings have survived his brief absence and makes his way to his corner, dodging out the way of a huddle of several other humans hunched over what seems like a sparse line of white powder and the smell of burning metal. He scrunches up his nose and settles down on the floor in his little area, surprised that his ratty old blanket still remains where he left it, though nothing else does. It’s a bleak place to reside in and despite the almost constant state of depression he’s found himself in the last few years, Daehyun finds some strange comfort in the way he knows he will fight to his last breath to get out of here.

“I ain’t staying here another week,” someone says in a harsh whisper to the person beside them, not too far from where Daehyun is sitting. It might be the millionth time Daehyun has heard this particular kind of sentiment, but with little else to occupy himself he listens in anyway. “I’d rather rot in hell than spend another seven nights in this dump.”

“Then where will you go?” asks the other person--Daehyun thinks it might be Jiho or Jihoon, but he doesn’t remember nor care which. 

“I’m thinking of trying my luck at that casino.You know the one,” the dark look on the second person’s face tells the speaker that he knows all too well. Daehyun doesn’t know of a single person who hasn’t heard something about  _ that  _ place. The speaker continues, sounding desperate. “Nothing can be worse than living here, surely..”

Jiho--or Jihoon--shakes his head slowly, looking grave. “They never lose. The second you bet your life to them, you might as well be signing your soul up for free. You’ll never be seen again.. I heard the owner enjoys torturing humans and using their beaten up bodies as bait for hunting.. I wouldn’t go near that place if I were you.”

“That sounds like just a rumour to me. Hybrids like to think they’re all that, but since when have they been allowed to get away with that shit? Are they even capable?”

“The owner isn’t from a common race.. Haven’t you heard?”

The man looks confused. “Heard what?”

“He’s one of those exotics--you know the ones I mean--the violent types, the rare ones.” 

Daehyun watches as all the colour drains from the man’s face and his expression descends into something sickly and nervous. “Shit.. okay, maybe not..” The two look at each other and grimace, silently sharing mutual imagery of horrific mutilation. 

Curiosity gets the better of him and Daehyun shuffles closer to the pair, not caring that he’s exposing himself for eavesdropping and simultaneously looking as if he’s out of his mind. With what he’s about to ask, he thinks maybe the latter might be rather true. He taps one of them on the shoulder. “Hey, this casino, where is it exactly?”

Jihoon--perhaps Jiho--shoots him a wary look. “Why are you asking? I know you heard everything.”

“Just answer the question.” Daehyun pushes.

“Crazy bastard..” the other man says under his breath. Daehyun chooses to ignore him, never breaking eye contact with the first. 

The man sighs. “Look, if you really wanna know, it’s not too far from here. Walk to the end of the street, turn right and it’s down the first alleyway you come across. The door has a huge crack; you can’t miss it,” He watches as consideration washes over Daehyun’s face and grabs a tight hold of his arm. “Seriously, man. Don’t go there..Just don’t do it. It’s not worth throwing your life away like that, you can find a job.”

Daehyun studies the man’s pleading gaze and nods slowly, sighing. “You’re probably right.”

  
  


There’s very little hope left within Daehyun, but he takes energy from the small amount he still has, using it to spur him on as he trudges through the cold on his way to his next attempt at possible employment. With the physical state he’s in, he knows there’s no chance in hell he’ll be hired for anything besides small cleaning jobs, but he’s desperate and he knows it’s better than the alternative of nothing. 

He lifts his hand to inspect his skin, noting the lesser amount of blue and taking a deep breath.  _ I’m okay, this is better than yesterday _ , he thinks to himself, a short surge of bravery running through his sensitive veins. His lack of strength is still very much present, but he feels very slightly less unstable, the shaking and tremors having cooled off into the occasional shiver. For several moments he truly believes he’s in with a shot at this, that he may finally be able to gather enough money to buy his medicine again, that he can get back on his feet, start building the foundations for a better life-

His limbs give out below him and he drops to the floor. The last thing he feels is his heart hammering inside his chest in a rapid, offbeat rhythm before his vision blots out to a perfect ink black and his consciousness slips away.

Cold droplets of rain splashing onto his face brings Daehyun back to the land of the living, his fingers twitching to life as his heart holds itself back from racing at dangerous speeds, pumping lethargically whenever it can manage. He gasps for breath and chokes on several exhales as he forces his eyes open, scrabbling at the ground with his fingertips to try and give him something to grip onto while he sits himself up. 

“Fuck,” he grunts out loud in annoyance and discomfort, startling some of the passers by trying to ignore him. He watches as they all continue to walk past him, only offering their looks of disdain and disgust in place of any help. He’s aware that he probably looks like any old human junkie but the lack of compassion grinds his gears all the same. “Fuck you all too, then..” he hisses to himself, struggling to get up onto his knees. 

Though he eventually manages to clamber to his feet, Daehyun feels a strong sinking feeling in his chest and stomach at the realisation of what has just happened. He’s passed out too many times in the last few years to keep count, more often than not completely without warning, but this time he had a job opportunity at stake--and he knows he’s missed it. 

The rain continues to plummet down in almost continuous ropes of thick, unforgiving streams of cold water, only picking up speed the longer he stands there trying to come to terms with the harsh reality of having absolutely no option remaining. He’s soaked to the skin in a matter of fleeting moments, the blue tinge to his skin deepening in hue while his heart tries its unsatisfactory best to keep his blood flowing. This is it. 

He glances around him, finding his bearings with great difficulty as the rain impairs his vision. The constant noise of rain hurtling to the ground alongside the more pitiful trickles dripping down from his clothes and tangled hair makes it difficult to concentrate on remembering where he is, but he perseveres until his blurred surroundings start to take more familiar shapes. From where he’s standing he can see the entrance to the alleyway leading to the casino. Before his common sense and first impulse can communicate with each other he finds himself walking hurriedly towards the alleyway, shivering and stumbling over his own feet as he walks into puddle after puddle, breathing reduced to short puffs of air that involve inhaling more water than anything else. He knows with the state he’s in that he can’t make it home right now, that his only chance of shelter lies within that casino and he’ll be damned if he collapses again before he gets there.

The infamous cracked door is staring him in the face before long. He wastes only a few seconds hesitating before he raps his brittle knuckles against the door with as much force as he can muster, barely able to hear the thumps he’s making through the chaos of the rain. 

The door swings open.

“What do you want?” comes an impatient yet unnervingly soft-sounding voice from the doorway.

Daehyun blinks at the owner of the voice, fighting hard to prevent himself taking an instinctive step backwards at the sight. The young man’s eyes are unmistakably reptilian, the irises surrounding the slit-like pupils a strange mixture of amber and swamp-green. There’s patches of dark green and black scales covering parts of his neck, and Daehyun guesses there’s a lot more of the same hidden underneath his leather jacket. A hissing noise brings him out of his observations and he remembers he’s been asked a question. He takes a shaky breath and makes stable eye contact, holding his ground.

“I’ve come to bet my life.”

The sharp pupils expand and contract a few times as the young man studies his face. He folds his arms. “Come back later.” Daehyun doesn’t miss the flick of a forked tongue between sharp fangs as the man speaks.

“Please, let me in..” Daehyun says, making a point of pushing his drenched hair out of his eyes. “I don’t care how long I have to wait for the game to start; I’ll wait in the hallway if I have to. I just need shelter, I’m sick..” his voice trails off, still embarrassed at admitting it out loud to strangers. 

“Let him in.” 

The reptilian man turns his head, frowning at the gravelly voice coming from behind him. “Are you sure, boss? We don’t open for another-”

“Two hours, I’m well aware.” The boss pushes his way to the front, eyes narrowed in Daehyun’s direction. 

Daehyun’s own eyes are fixated on two jet black ears standing to attention nestled into equally coal-coloured tresses. The humans back at the shack weren’t lying. Standing directly before Daehyun, the owner of the casino himself, is none other than a panther. Daehyun has never seen one in the flesh before. Suddenly the gravity of what he’s getting himself into starts to dawn on him, images of mangled and butchered humans flashing through his mind. The corner of the boss’ lips twitches.

He speaks in a low purr. “Come in, human. I’m sure we can find you somewhere to sit.”

The boss turns on his heel and leads the way inside, the reptilian man staring Daehyun down until he steps on through, closing the door behind the three of them and following behind the human--far too close for comfort. With every step Daehyun feels as if he is approaching ever closer to his end, muscles quivering under the stress and the cold that has seeped its way into his bones. 

_ This is it. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Pandalotl here. Or in this case admin Panda. (We're a team of 2, panda and lotl~)  
This story will be cross-posted on aff as well. I have no clue how ao3 works though, but we'll figure it out! 
> 
> First chapter is up, comments/feedback would be loved! ♥


	2. Texas hold him

Daehyun follows the panther through the narrow corridor, the paint peeling off the walls doing nothing to calm his nerves. The hallway almost perfectly reflects the image Daehyun had been envisioning after seeing the crack in the door, dilapidated from skirting board to ceiling with even parts of the carpet torn up and littered with holes.

As the boss takes him through to the main body of the casino, it feels like Daehyun is stepping into another world. The room is nothing like he has ever seen before, like nothing that has ever existed in this area of the city. For a start, it’s much more spacious than he had anticipated from its narrow entrance, relatively vast expanses of warm chestnut-coloured wood stretching across the floors. The furnishings are not up to date by any means, but Daehyun thinks that there’s a certain charm to the vintage prints against dark chocolate-brown walls, thinks there’s something strangely comforting about the way everything looks just that little bit antique. Everything is doused in gentle fire-like light, too, glinting rather seductively off of the three poker tables situated along the room. For such a foreboding establishment, somewhere surrounded by such terrifying rumours, Daehyun can’t help but think what they have done with the place is impressive.

“Like what you see?” the boss teases, smirk obvious in the deep tenor of his voice. He watches as an uncomfortable flush burns the tips of the human’s ears and pounces on the discomfort. “No need to be so quiet. The place is gorgeous, I know.” Daehyun hums in agreement, not daring to speak properly but too frightened not to offer a response at all. The panther chuckles. “How cute,” he clicks his fingers in the direction of the reptilian man. “Jongup, get our friend a chair.”

“Yes, boss.” 

The reptile--Jongup--pulls out a seat for Daehyun at the bar opposite the poker tables. The panther presses the fingers of one hand against the small of the human’s spine and pushes him with gentle force towards the chair, the strength behind the action making Daehyun tremble. He slides into the seat all the same, hands clasped together in his lap. 

“So you’re sick, hm?” The boss asks, slipping into the seat beside him, elbow propped up on the bar as he stares intensely into Daehyun’s eyes. “Tell me more.”

Already starting to crumble under the panther’s powerful gaze, Daehyun feels his arms and legs shaking considerably harder. “Why?” he whispers.

“Are you questioning me?” The boss challenges, eyes narrowed and expression darkening. Daehyun quickly shakes his head. The boss relaxes back into a smirk. He sits up properly and extends his claws to tap them on the countertop. “I thought not. Go on, human.”

“I-it’s my heart,” the human stammers, inwardly cursing himself for sounding so weak. “It just acts up sometimes. Makes me ill.”

The panther raises an eyebrow. “If that was the full story you wouldn’t be betting your life now, would you? Don’t patronise me, human, I wasn’t born yesterday,” his voice deepens to a growl. “I asked you to tell me more. So get to it.”

Daehyun nods shakily, a cold sweat breaking out under his fringe. “I’ve had a type of heart disease since I was born, I think.. It doesn’t work properly. It skips beats, then beats too fast, makes my breathing harder, makes me faint.. I can control the symptoms with medication, but I’ve realised recently how expensive the stuff is.”

The boss takes hold of Daehyun’s wrist and inspects it, claws digging in a little. “Human skin is not supposed to be blue, correct?”

“Y-yeah, that’s right..”

“Then this heart disease of yours must be pretty serious, hm?"

This question throws Daehyun. He hesitates, unsure if whether giving away the severity of his condition will make the panther reconsider their wager. Given that he can't do physical activities for long periods of time, he thinks that perhaps he won't be as fun a target for hunting if he loses. The panther's eyes are so insistent and threatening that he concedes, heart faintly tapping out a syncopated rhythm. "It is.. I'm afraid I'm very weak with it. Too much movement or strain could kill me when I'm off my medication. I need this money to keep myself alive. No other job will have me." 

As soon as the quiet, rushed words hurtle from Daehyun's lips, he wishes he could snatch them back, the boss' small smile unnerving him. The panther purrs and strokes his hand. "Alright, I'm willing to wager with you, boy. Such a sorry little state of a human.. my heart truly bleeds." 

Fear sinks into the pit of Daehyun's stomach. He just admitted his vulnerabilities out loud to someone as intelligent and conniving as the boss seems to be.  _ Might as well have tied myself up with ribbon and given myself to him on a platter _ , he thinks grimly. While he knows he doesn’t make for a challenge or fun participant in hunting, the realisation that he is an easy target dawns on him and his shaking increases tenfold. 

“I’m going to get the document, human. Yongguk will be along shortly to get you a drink.” The panther declares, letting go of his hand and walking off. Daehyun watches him leave, making himself as small as he possibly can on the barstool.

When  _ Yongguk  _ shows up, clad in a loose-fitting grey t-shirt and black skinny jeans, Daehyun is astounded to see that there is nothing animalistic about him whatsoever. Where he had been expecting furry ears of some sort there is simply a mop of rather long, black curls. There's no tail curling lazily around his thin legs, and though his hands are rough and scarred by experience, there's not a claw in sight. What sparks Daehyun's surprise most, however, is the way the man's arms and the visible part of his chest are covered in ink rather than patches of fur or scales. He's never seen tattoos on a human before.

Yongguk's admittedly handsome face gives way to a small, soft smile. "Yes, my tats are real," he says, his voice not much more than a low rumble. If Daehyun thought the panther had a deep voice, how could he describe this? Yongguk pulls a glass from the inside of the bar and puts it on the countertop. "What'd you like to drink?"

"How are you working here?" Daehyun blurts out instead of an answer.

Yongguk raises an eyebrow and taps a painted black nail on the rim of the glass. "Because boss said so," he replies simply. "And he doesn't take kindly to humans not following his wishes. I was told to get you a drink, so what're you drinkin'?"

Daehyun shakes his head. "I have no money."

Yongguk chuckles, though there's no spite in it. "That much is obvious, kid. Besides, you're betting your life, huh?" Daehyun nods. "Then I think that's plenty. Tell me what you want to drink, already." 

"What's the strongest thing you have?"

This time Yongguk's chuckle develops into a small laugh and Daehyun isn't sure whether he should feel threatened or enjoy the noise. When Yongguk flashes him a genuine smile, showing off a small line of his gums, Daehyun decides on the latter.  _ We're both human, after all.  _

"I'm sure I can sort something out. Leave it with me." 

Daehyun's eyes are fixated on Yongguk as he takes the drink and fills it shallowly with a liquid the colour of burnt ochre. He traces the tattoo seemingly covering the other man's chest with his curious gaze, frowning at the effort of translating the swirling letters into some kind of words. He gives up after a few long moments. It's been years since he had any form of education, and interpreting calligraphy was definitely not on the syllabus. His stare travels to the man's arms, new questions pricking at his throat and pushing at his tongue, vying for escape. Yongguk looks up at him and raises an eyebrow once again, pushing the drink towards him. 

There's a sudden  _ thump _ on the countertop next to the glass in front of Daehyun and he jolts, all his questions dissolving into a sharp gasp as his heart jumps. One hand instinctively rushes to clasp at his chest and he steadies his breathing, staring at the paper-thin screen now beside his drink. The feeling of a familiar clawed hand gripping his shoulder gives him a secondary fright, to which comes an amused purr of a laugh. 

"Too busy staring at Yongguk to see me coming, hm? Adorable." The panther drawls. He points to three dotted lines below a neat paragraph of information on the screen. "Sign here, human. I advise reading the text; there's no backing out once you press your fingertip on the third line. You lose, you're ours." 

"I understand."

Under the watchful gaze of both Yongguk and the panther, Daehyun clears his throat and takes the document into his shaking hand. He knows what they’re thinking--that he can’t read, that he’s completely illiterate like damn near all of the rest of his species are--and he’s determined to prove them wrong. He didn’t spend all of those frustrating hours forcing the alphabet into his head for nothing. 

He frowns at the screen, squinting at each and every word and slowly sounding them out in his head, subtly mouthing along and nodding at the end of each sentence when he knows he understands. The boss raises an eyebrow and sighs impatiently before walking off again, leaving him to it with Yongguk keeping an eye out. Daehyun physically relaxes somewhat and goes back to his reading. 

When he thinks he’s understood as much as he can, he takes a deep breath and looks at Yongguk. “Can I ask what some of this means?” he asks quietly. Yongguk gives a gentle nod and gestures for him to go ahead. Daehyun looks back down at the text. “It says here.. ‘In case of a loss on the part of the.. P-patron, patron?” he frowns at Yongguk and the latter keeps nodding, encouraging him. “In case of a loss on the part of the patron, he/she agrees to sign over his/her life to party B, One Shot, surrendering all rights to Mr. Kim and Mr. Bang in particular’. What is One Shot?”

Yongguk taps the front of the glass in front of Daehyun to point out the indented logo, the lettering spelling out Casino One Shot. “That would be this place.”

“Got it,” Daehyun says. “Who are Mr. Kim and Mr. Bang?”

“The bosses.” Yongguk says with a knowing smile.

“The bosses? Isn’t the panther the boss? Which one is he? Who is the other one?”

“They’re the bosses, kid. That’s all you need to know.” Yongguk says firmly. He signals back towards the screen. “What else didn’t you understand?”

Daehyun skims back over the text, following it until he finds the words that piqued his interest. “‘After the patron experiences a loss, p..p..pro-to-col follows as such: he/she is re..quired.. to..'"

"'To demonstrate the ownership of party B over them by way of a permanent tattoo and any additional measures should party B so request'." Yongguk recites calmly from heart. "Basically, if you lose you're gonna have to get inked."

Daehyun's eyes widen and he struggles through obvious confusion. "But I'm human.."

"As am I."

"But that's.. that's not normal. Tattoos are for rich hybrids. How would a human even go about getting one?"

Yongguk drags the neck of his t-shirt down a little more and points to the huge tattoo covering the whole expanse of his chest as far as Daehyun can see. "Kid, what d'you think all these are? There's ways. Besides, I don't think a tattoo should be at the top of your list of worries right now."

"Can I see yours?" Daehyun pushes. "They own you too, don't they?"

"I suppose you could say something like that," Yongguk says with a lopsided grin. Before Daehyun can question what he means by this, he's lifting his arm up, showing the inside of his forearm. There's a sizeable ink drawing of a compass spanning most of the width of his arm save for a few centimetres, the linework clean and precise. It's not overly elaborate, but the detail it does have makes the compass stand out beautifully against his skin. In the centre of the main circular body is a strange white engraving in a language Daehyun doesn't think he's ever seen before. "Here. If you lose, you'll get this in whatever place the bosses choose. It'll be more noticeable than mine is." 

"Right.." Daehyun says, taking everything in. He stares at the dotted lines on the screen and presses his fingertip to the first one. Yongguk grabs his wrist.

"You can still back out if you aren't sure, kid. This game is not going to be easy." 

Daehyun stands his ground, giving Yongguk a determined look. "I've played before. Gambling isn't something new to me. The money is too important, I can't pass up the opportunity." 

"Your call. Good luck." Yongguk says, turning round to tend to something behind the bar, giving Daehyun space to make up his mind.

_ Be brave, idiot. It's just poker. One game of poker and you can get your medication whenever you need it,  _ Daehyun tells himself, fighting the shakes and pressing his finger onto the screen. As soon as his fingerprint comes into contact with it, a pop-up appears, displaying another set of information, this time about him. 

_ Daehyun Jung. Date of birth: 2523.06.28. Current residency: Unknown. Previous residency: Outer-City Orphanage. Is this you? Do you wish to continue? _

He sighs and presses the 'yes' button, proceeding to scribble his name down on the first line and moving towards the next. He remembers what the panther had said about his decision being final when he touches the third line and hesitates. After a few seconds he decides to simply go for it, signing his name on the final line and pressing the 'end' option at the bottom of the screen. His heart skips a beat and makes a fluttering feeling in his chest as the screen displays the confirmation. 

_ Now all that's left to do is win. _

There's ten minutes to go. The casino has come alive during the last half an hour, rich hybrids spilling in through the door in pursuit of an entertaining night. They seem to be mostly familiar faces to Yongguk, Daehyun notes, watching the tattooed barman suddenly serving drinks left right and centre and nodding along to all the buzzing chatter directed at him. Daehyun wonders which of them he’s going to be playing against, quietly eyeing up every potential opponent. 

“Sir,” comes a bored sounding voice from beside Daehyun. He whips round in fright and finds himself staring at a small, slim young man with hair the colour of milk chocolate and two soft-looking darker brown ears nestled within it. There’s an unimpressed expression on his face that somehow doesn’t seem to match his otherwise sweet features. Daehyun’s eyes are soon drawn to the black compass inked upon the side of his neck, noticing the same angular white lettering as in the middle of Yongguk’s. The canine rolls his eyes. “Do I have something on my face? Or are you just stoned?”

Daehyun snaps out of his gaze and glares at him. “Neither.”

“Cool, then follow me. Your high stakes game is about to start.” The canine turns on his heel and walks off, simply expecting Daehyun to follow him. The latter makes a disgruntled noise and gets off his stool, walking behind the hybrid to the far side of the room. The canine points to his allocated seat around the poker table and Daehyun slides into it, trying to hide his deep intakes of breath. 

The panther slinks over to the table, raking his fingers through his dark hair and flashing Daehyun a sly grin, pointy fangs glinting at him. “How do you feel, human?”

“Fine.” Daehyun murmurs.

The panther chuckles. “Fighting spirit, I approve,” he clicks his fingers in the canine’s direction. “Youngjae, give him his chips. He’s bet the Maximum.”

Youngjae raises a delicately arched eyebrow. “Didn’t think he had it in him.” he mutters, counting out the right number of chips. 

“You don’t know me.” Daehyun snaps back. Youngjae snarls and shoves the chips across the table to him. 

“Watch your tone, human. Our Youngjae is dealing.” The boss purrs lowly, the sound threatening and authoritative. Daehyun’s cheeks flush red and he nods, ignoring Youngjae’s taunting smile. “Good human.”

Someone Daehyun hasn’t seen yet in the bar walks over to the table, throwing him a look of unbridled disgust. “I was told my seat was second to the right, but that appears to be next to a human. Nobody warned me vermin were allowed to play here. It was bad enough being served my drink by one of them,” the man growls, amber eyes boring into Daehyun as if they have the power to burn a hole straight through him. He shoots a disdainful look to the panther. “Just what kind of scum do you let in this establishment, hm?”

The boss grits his teeth and drags his claws along the side of the table, making an unbearable scratching noise that has Daehyun’s hairs standing on end. “You’re in my territory, about to play a game at  _ my  _ table. I suggest you show me a little respect.”

The man scowls and slams down into his seat. He glares at Daehyun. “Don’t even think about looking at my cards, you little bitch.”

“Cheating never even crossed my mind. I think that shows more about you than me.” Daehyun replies bravely, Youngjae’s earlier attitude having ignited the usual fire within him. 

“Enough.” the panther hisses, slipping into the final seat as Youngjae dishes out the chips. “Let’s get this game started.”

Daehyun’s eyes widen.  _ I’m playing against the boss?  _

  
  
The apprehension in Daehyun fizzles out and streamlines itself into concentration after the initial few hands. He’s had a strong start, no spectacular hands but enough to scrape him into a good position. With every passing second he can feel the aggravation of the hybrid beside him growing and festering, his poisonous insults and degrading remarks towards Daehyun only serving to give himself away and prove advantageous to the human. This distracted playing on the hybrid's part fills Daehyun with confidence, his face blank and unreadable while the cogs of his mind keep steadily turning. He's even managing to control his shakes. 

The next few hands prove detrimental for the hybrid, his fury at being repeatedly outsmarted by a human propelling him to take bigger and more questionable risks, opting for all-in earlier than any player would consider advisable. Ultimately, he loses to Daehyun's much stronger hand and has effectively kicked himself out of the game. Daehyun allows a small smile to play on his lips as the hybrid abruptly stands up and forcefully upturns the chair he was sitting on, throwing it in Daehyun's direction.

"Filthy cheating  _ whore _ ," he spits out, fangs glistening with saliva. "Stealing my fucking money-"

The panther only chuckles. "You bet your money and played poorly. The human won fair and square." The hybrid lunges for the boss, but the panther just stares him dead in the eyes and turns a chip between his fingers. "Jongup, remove this man. Sore losers rather ruin the fun, don't you agree?"

In his concentration, Daehyun hadn't seen the reptilian bodyguard stood in the corner, but he watches now as Jongup calmly bends the hybrid's arms behind his back and manhandles him out of the area. While he may be considerably shorter than Daehyun himself, the bodyguard certainly makes up for this in sheer strength. The boss flicks his chip back onto the pile in front of him.

"Now the thug has gone, shall we continue?"

With one less player, the game suddenly intensifies tenfold. Daehyun feels the pressure mounting on his shoulders, and he realises that the panther is a much more intimidating opponent than the angry hybrid had been. Without the enjoyment of getting one up on someone, his confidence diminishes greatly and he remembers that the man he's now playing solely against could own his life by the end of the game.

Pressure turns into fear and fear into stress. Stress that has the human's weak heart having to fight a lot harder than it has all night. He feels the blood rushing from his head down into the rest of his body and curses under his breath as the cards in front of his eyes start to look fuzzy and unclear, the suits and numbers seeming to swim. Darkness bleeds into the edges of his vision like thick ink, blotting out the world and burying his consciousness far out of reach until the last thing he feels is his upper body collapsing forward into the poker table.


	3. Snap

When Daehyun wakes up, he’s surrounded in soft, clean sheets, neck propped up comfortably by a plump pillow. For a second he thinks he might have died already, the white sheets and initial brightness of opening his eyes for the first time in a while throwing his rationality off kilter. As his eyes adjust to the light and ache creeps into his temples, he rules out the possibility of heaven. 

He sits up gradually, one palm cradling his forehead as the duvet pools around his waist. Though there’s pain in his head, his muscles feel relaxed and well-rested, heart beating in a predominantly decent rhythm. It’s a feeling he’s not used to, and the softness of the bed beneath him is just as unfamiliar after having slept on cold ground and broken bunks his entire life. He doesn’t remember ever being given the luxury of a pillow. 

The situation he has woken up in is so alien to Daehyun that he immediately distrusts it, confusion growing and constricting around his chest like vines. He’s never seen this place before, let alone been inside it, and for the life of him he can’t remember what could possibly have led up to him ending up here. He swings his legs out of the bed and lands his feet on the ground, balance unsteady as he pulls himself up to a standing position.

Stumbling towards the bedroom door, he grips onto whatever he can, grabbing fruitlessly at the walls to keep himself steady. His coordination comes back to him slowly as he struggles to move across the room, hand just that little bit more steady as he takes hold of the door handle. He opens the door and blinks at the new surroundings, letting out a soft groan at the feeling of his temples throbbing. After peering as much as he can into the hallway, he decides on heading to the left, determined to find out where he is and how he’s managed to end up here.

He’s moving so hastily through the building that he can barely see where he’s going, constantly looking over his shoulder for any sign of other people around. His breathing is laboured from the stress and rapidity of his walking, the sound of his panting drowning out any other distant noises.

_ Thump _ .

Suddenly, Daehyun has knocked himself straight into a sturdy body, the frame not much taller than his own but considerably stronger and more filled-out. There’s hands grabbing his shoulders and he trembles, pushing away the rush of pain in order to stare at the man he walked into. Familiar feline eyes bore right back into his own.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing up? You’re supposed to be resting, human.” the panther says, voice so much more soothing and concerned than he remembers. Now that he’s looking at him properly, Daehyun can see that he looks much softer, too; dark hair so mussed up that it almost conceals his furry ears, skin smooth and pale against the black cotton of his t-shirt. 

“Where am I?” Daehyun whispers, unsure of whether he should be struggling against the panther’s hold or trusting him. 

The panther sighs and grips his shoulders tighter, staring at him intensely. “This is my home, human. Attached to the casino. You remember the casino, don’t you?” Daehyun frowns and nods.  _ Vaguely,  _ he thinks. The panther squeezes the top of his arm. “Good. What do you remember about what happened?”

“I-I came here.. I came here because of my heart, the money--the wager. I bet my life. I remember playing the game, playing it with you.. With another hybrid. I was winning..” his frown grows deeper, gaze trailing over to a patch on the floor. He grits his teeth all of a sudden, shooting a sharp glare at the boss, anger boiling his blood and making his heart hammer in his chest. “I was winning. Why am I here? What did you do to me?”

“Slow down, human. Stop with the questioning for now, you just got up. Come with me and we’ll get you something to eat.” the panther’s tone remains calm despite the obvious fury building up in the confused boy in front of him. Daehyun makes a growling noise so far from humane that the panther chuckles. “Come, boy, no need to be so feisty.”

With great distrust, Daehyun hesitantly follows the panther as he starts walking further down the hallway, turning round only to beckon the human. His anger is lying just under the surface of his skin, ready to burst out of him at any given moment.

In less than twenty minutes there’s a bowl of food on the table in front of Daehyun. He narrows his eyes as he looks down at it, picking it apart with his gaze as well as the spoon he was given. “What did you put in this?”

The panther throws him a bored look. “It’s rice, human. Rice and vegetables and an egg. Eat what you can, you need the energy.”

“ _ What did you put in this? _ ” Daehyun repeats, hissing. “And what did you do to me last night? What happened to me? I was winning!”

The boss sets down the mug he’s holding with a clatter, pulling out a chair opposite the human and sitting down, folding his arms. “I won’t say it again, boy. Eat your food. I wouldn’t waste perfectly products on poisoning you, trust me. I have far too many mouths to feed as it is; you’re lucky you’re getting more than bread.”

“Tell me what you did last night. Why am I here?”

“You couldn’t finish the game. You collapsed on the table,” the panther says honestly, voice a low rumble. “We waited almost an hour for you to come round, but you were out cold. Yongguk took you to one of the double bedrooms and we got you cleaned up. This is your home now, you’re mine.”

Daehyun blinks slowly. “What do you mean, I’m yours?”

“It’s pretty simple, boy. You didn’t win the game, so by contract, I own you.” 

Just as expected, the panther’s words act as a catalyst for the anger within the human to reach bursting point. He growls louder than before and jumps to his feet, throwing the bowl of food to the floor with a loud smash and sending the chair he was sitting on toppling over and clattering against the kitchen tiles. He runs at the boss without second thought, grabbing hold of the collar of his t-shirt with one hand and lifting the other quickly to try and take a swing at his head. The panther’s reflexes put Daehyun’s to shame and he takes hold of his spindly wrist, staring at him with that same intimidating glare. 

“Bastard, fucking bastard-” Daehyun spits, shaking violently and trying to scratch at whatever part of the panther he can reach. “I didn’t lose, I didn’t lose! You don’t own me, you can’t do that. Fucking bastard-”

“I’m not going to lose my temper with you just yet, human, but you’d better calm yourself down right this instant,” the panther orders. “You can take as many looks at the document as you want. It clearly states that if the participant cannot finish the game then it counts as a loss, and the initial repercussions apply. You took the wager, and with that the risk.”

“Let me go! I’m not yours! You took advantage of me!” Daehyun shrieks, his voice strong despite his weak frame, the sound reverberating off the walls and making the panther grimace. The latter takes hold of his other hand and shoves the boy backwards and into the side of the table, keeping him there.

“I’m warning you. Silence, immediately. I don’t want you waking up the kids,” the boss hisses. “I’m being lenient on you because you’re confused, but this kind of feral behaviour is absolutely not tolerated under my roof, especially from a human. Understood?”

Daehyun’s chest rises and falls with great strain as he struggles to breathe through his anger and distress. He looks more scared than furious, as hard as he’s trying to project the opposite, and the boss loosens his hold just the slightest bit so as not to hurt him. The human goes to yell once again, but the boss is quicker. There’s a hand covering his mouth before Daehyun can even make a noise, and he finds himself scrabbling his hands against whatever part of the panther he can reach as he’s propelled back into his seat.

He leans in and keeps his hand pressed into Daehyun’s chest, whispering. “You don’t want to see me angry, human.” 

For a moment, the room falls quiet, the only sounds coming from the human’s loud breathing and the faint beeping of the automatic vacuum as it rolls itself across the floor and gets to work wiping and sucking up the rice and fractals of the bowl Daehyun had strewn onto the floor. This quiet discordant symphony is soon accompanied by the sound of light footsteps approaching. 

The largest person Daehyun has ever seen soon appears in the doorway. He takes a sharp intake of breath as he rakes his eyes over the stranger, taking in the sweat-slicked white hair and lightly flushed skin, the lack of any animalistic properties compensated for by the odd purple tinge to his porcelain skin. He’s nothing like anyone Daehyun has ever seen in his life, standing tall and broad despite his youthful face. The boy’s pale eyebrows are knit into a frown and his lower lip juts out into a slight pout that Daehyun thinks is more natural habit than deliberate expression. 

“For why is there a lot of sound, hyung?” the boy speaks, rubbing the sleep from his ice-blue eyes with his fist. “I was asleeping.. Now I’m too warm.”

The panther turns round almost immediately at the sound of the boy’s voice, letting go of Daehyun in favour of walking straight over to him and protectively rubbing his back. “ _ Asleep, _ Zelo-ah. You were asleep; remember what we said about the present continuous?” his voice is softer than Daehyun ever imagined it could sound, and he’s expecting the worry that comes next even less. “You said you feel warm? How warm?” the boss doesn’t wait for an answer, instead pressing his palm to Zelo’s forehead and smoothing it over his cheeks. 

“Hyung is making me more warmer..” Zelo huffs, too tired to think of the correct grammar. He spots Daehyun watching him from across the room and frowns even harder. “What is this human, hyung? This is the thing creating all the sound?”

Daehyun wants nothing more than to jump up off this chair and run for his life, but some intangible force has him glued to the seat, limbs shaking and anger gradually making way for a tidal wave of confusion. He keeps staring straight at the strange boy, earning himself a frown in response.

“He is Daehyun, Zelo-ah. He’s going to be staying with us from now on. Like another brother if I can calm him down.” the panther explains, irritated.

“I will not..” Daehyun grunts, scowling. “You’re going to let me go.”

The panther shoots him a warning look. “Silence, human,” he reminds him, turning back to Zelo. “How are you feeling? You’re getting very flushed..”

Zelo sighs. “My head is full of pain. To walk is difficult. Too warm, very too much warm..”

“You’re sweating so much, we need to cool you down now Zelo..” the panther looks increasingly concerned by the situation, but stays cool, reaching up slightly to comb his fingers through the boy’s damp hair and push it away from his skin. Zelo wobbles precariously on his feet, starting to give out little huffs of air like a dog would in the sun. He holds onto the panther for dear life and starts shaking quite violently, something Daehyun knows all too well.

“I.. Himchan-hyung..” he pants out, sweat dripping down from his forehead and neck and sticking to his t-shirt. A sleepy look passes over his face before his eyes roll back slightly and he slumps onto Himchan, his weight too much for the panther to support at such sudden notice. His long body collapses onto the kitchen floor in a heap, and the kid seems to look so much smaller like this. 

“Shit,” Himchan mutters under his breath. He gets down on his knees and supports Zelo’s head, checking for cuts or fractures. When he’s satisfied the kid is simply unconscious, he stares at Daehyun. “Come here, human. I need your help. Forget about the deal for now and help me, he’s too heavy for me to carry myself.”

Daehyun looks startled. “I.. No, I.. I’m not, I can’t-”

“This is no time to be thinking of the goddamn deal, Jung Daehyun,” Himchan snarls. “There are much more pressing issues right now, if you haven’t noticed, and if you don’t want to help then go and get someone who will.”

The human gulps down the rest of his protests, feeling intimidated though he’d never admit to it. He gets off the chair and walks over to where Himchan is hunched over the unconscious boy, bending down to help roll him onto his back. Up close like this, Daehyun can see that the boy’s skin isn’t as unmarred as he had first thought, littered with raised scars and healing cuts. There’s an image just under the line of his jaw on the side of his neck, odd shapes similar to the ones on the tattoo he saw upon Yongguk’s arm, though much fainter and seemingly burnt onto the skin rather than inked. 

“For god’s sake, human, what are you staring at? We need to move him!”

“Move him where? What do you want me to do?” Daehyun snaps back. “I don't know you nor this kid, nor what’s wrong with him, what do you expect from me?”

“Just go and get Yongguk. Go, now!” Himchan orders, lifting Zelo’s shoulders and struggling to sit him up, gently pulling the boy against him and stroking his hair.

Daehyun scrabbles to his feet, startled by the tone of the panther’s voice. He throws one last mistified glance in Zelo’s direction before running out of the room. 

It’s just his luck, really, that just as he’s hurtling down the corridor on unsteady feet he manages to slam straight into an unsuspecting Yongguk. It hurts much more than when he had run into Himchan, on account of Yongguk’s more prominent bones and the speed at which he’s moving. He doubles over, winded as Yongguk’s sharp shoulders and hipbones come into contact with his own body. Yongguk grunts loudly and puts a hand on Daehyun’s shoulder, frowning at him.

“What are you running for? Why are you even up? You’re supposed to be resting.”

“I don’t understand why you gave the tramp a bed anyway. He looks like he’s all over fleas.” the familiar snarky voice from next to Yongguk pipes up. When Daehyun looks up, he sees that the dog hybrid is smirking. He glares.

“And you’d know all about fleas wouldn’t you, mongrel.”

Youngjae growls. “You take that back.”

“Make me.”

Yongguk holds his arm out between the two boys and shakes Daehyun with the other, giving both boys a disapproving look. “Hey, it’d serve you well to remember where you came from, Youngjae-ah. I won’t tolerate insults and petty arguments from either of you.” he pauses, looking directly at the other human. “Daehyun, what’s going on in the kitchen? We came because of the noise.”

“Too right,” Youngjae adds, folding his arms. “Sounds like someone was getting murdered in there. Did you insult Himchan-hyung’s cooking?” he sniggers, looking pleased with himself. Daehyun and Yongguk ignore him completely.

“The tall boy fainted. He’s in a bad way. I was told to find you to help out.”

That wipes the smile straight off Youngjae’s face. “Shit, Zelo..”

A grave look takes over Yongguk’s features and he pushes Daehyun aside with little hesitation, rushing straight to the kitchen with Youngjae hot on his very figurative tail. Daehyun trails shakily behind them, unsure of where he should be or whether or not he should be trying to escape this strange amalgamation of people.

Zelo’s eyes are open when they all arrive back in the kitchen, pupils glassy and dilated as they stare at a spot on the ceiling. Himchan has managed to sit him up properly and is still gently combing his fingers through his hair, whispering words of comfort to the boy and checking his breathing every now and then. Yongguk strides over and kneels by the boy’s side, resting one hand on his knee and looking at the panther.

“Too hot again?” He asks, earning a small nod in response from the boss. “Okay, let’s get rid of this shirt and take him to my office, it’s nice and cold down there,” he looks at Youngjae and Daehyun and snaps his fingers. “Youngjae, fetch his painkillers. Daehyun go with him and get the towels out of the cooler in the bathroom. Youngjae will show you where.”

Youngjae gives the faintest of sighs but turns on his heel to obey instantly, beckoning Daehyun to follow him. The human hesitates, but one stern look from Yongguk has him following orders without even really knowing why. The other human seems to radiate this subtle authority that has everyone under control, and Daehyun is dumbfounded by it as he leaves behind the dog hybrid. 

“Hurry up, you’re lagging.” Youngjae says snippily, purposefully speedwalking down the corridor so that Daehyun almost has to jog to keep up.

“What’s wrong with that kid?” Daehyun pants out, ignoring Youngjae’s comments to conserve what little patience and energy he has left. “Why did he collapse? Why is he so warm? It’s not warm in here.”

“Zelo will be fine. Just shut up and make yourself useful.”

Daehyun scowls. “Why are all you bastards so cryptic? Give me a break here, I don’t understand anything that’s happening. Who even are you? What species is that kid? How do you know each other?”

Youngjae grabs hold of Daehyun by the collar and yanks him into a room between where Daehyun had woken up and a row of other doors. Though he’s small and built along petite, feminine lines, Youngjae certainly packs a decent amount of strength, able to shove Daehyun against the bathroom wall with seemingly minimum effort and glaring at him.

“Do you ever shut the fuck up?” he closes his eyes and pinches the upper bridge of his nose, sighing. “Quit the incessant questions. I don’t want to hear another peep out of you or I’ll break your nose. This is about Zelo for god’s sake.”

With those last sentiments, Youngjae turns round and bends down to the cupboard, opening it up and rootling on the top shelf where all the medicine seems to be kept. When his fingers finally brush against the right box he pulls it out and tosses it at Daehyun, not bothering to make sure that the human is ok when he lets out a disgruntled noise. He stands up and reaches for the door of the cooling cupboard, shivering as he’s hit with an onslaught of frosty air. He pulls out two of the three towels and shudders before thrusting them into Daehyun’s arms and shutting the small door.

“Come on, human. Yongguk-hyung’s office is down in the cellar. Don’t touch anything, he won’t like it,” Youngjae huffs. “I found that out the hard way. Maybe I should have let you, too.”

Daehyun feels uneasy at the thought of Yongguk getting properly angry, so much so that he lets Youngjae’s snide remark slip past him, instead pensively contemplating the possible reasons that all these hybrids seem to be listening to Yongguk so obediently. Yongguk the human, the barman. Before this morning Daehyun had assumed that Himchan was the dominant leader of the company, but it’s looking a whole lot like he’s not alone in this position. Daehyun wonders if Yongguk was the Kim or the Bang on the document.

The cellar, as expected, is freezing. A shiver ripples its way through Daehyun’s sensitive body at the temperature change, the ice-cold towels in his arms starting to make numbness sink into his skin. He thinks he hears Youngjae’s teeth chattering from next to him, but when he looks round to see, the canine only shoots him a defiant glare and walks over to where Himchan and Yongguk are comforting the tall kid. 

Himchan looks over at Daehyun and beckons to him. “Come here, boy. Pass me the towels.”

Daehyun nods and hands over the towels, glad to be rid of the goosebump-inducing material. Himchan takes them and drapes one over Zelo’s bare chest, tucking the other around his shoulders and head to make sure he cools down as quickly as possible. The boy lets out a weak cry of relief and reaches out limply for Yongguk’s hand. Yongguk and Himchan share a look, communicating wordlessly about something Daehyun can’t even begin to decipher as Yongguk squeezes Zelo’s hand and Himchan shakes his head, gently massaging the boy’s shoulders.

“Zelo-ah?” the panther calls softly. “How do you feel?”

Zelo blinks and leans into Himchan’s touch. “Better, a little bit.” he croaks out, snuggling into the cold. His skin starts to take on a lavender-coloured tint, the red flush from earlier having faded away into a dazzling white. “Cold.” he adds happily.

Yongguk smiles and gives his hand another squeeze. “Good boy. You look much more like yourself now.”

Himchan bundles Zelo up in the towels and maneuvers him into Yongguk’s lap. “Make sure he’s alright; I have to go and talk to the human.” Yongguk nods in response and uses his free hand to rub Zelo’s arm. Youngjae watches as Himchan shoots him a pointed look and he grabs the painkillers from Daehyun’s hand and goes over to help Yongguk soothe the tall kid’s headache. 

“Come with me, boy,” the panther says, gently but forcefully taking Daehyun’s arm and ushering him out of the room. He walks him to the stairwell and up to the third storey of the house above the casino floor. Daehyun finds himself being pulled into what seems like the living room and effectively pushed onto the sofa. “You seem on edge. I understand your confusion, but you’re going to have to get used to this if you want to start enjoying life. Today hasn’t exactly gone to plan, but-”

Daehyun’s sharp breathing and the sudden return of his shakes cuts Himchan’s speech short. He yanks his arm away from the panther’s grip and stares up at him, both terrified and seething at the same time. His lower lip trembles and he opens his mouth the slightest bit ready to talk, his panting suddenly a whole lot more audible. 

“What the  _ fuck _ is going on?”


End file.
